High/Low Fridays

When we were in elementary and middle school my parents used to play a game with us every night at the dinner table called, high/low. We would have to tell the high of our day, or the best thing about it, and the low of our day, or the worst part about it. We could never have just a low but definitely could have just a high.This was one of our favorite things to do and really promoted sharing around the dinner table.

This year I decided to incorporate it into my classroom. This is the second year I've had this group of  kids and we already know each other pretty well. But it is nice to have more bonding time.

Every Friday the kids walk in excited to play high/low, even though we play it at the very end of the day. They think about their highs and lows all day and now are much better at knowing exactly what they want to say (unlike the beginning of the year when each kid took 10 minutes to think of something). We clear out the desks, sit in a circle, and go around saying our highs and lows. Sometimes we will even add in a "what we are looking forward to this weekend".

It's been such a wonderful bonding experience. We've had so many laughs and even some tears. But it just brings us closer together. We do have a few rules, which most follow.

Rule #1: Wait your turn
Rule #2: Do not comment on others high/low  {this is the hardest to follow but very important}
Rule #3: Be polite
Rule #4: Highs and lows must be appropriate  {we're talking 5th graders here- ya never know!}
Rule #5: You must say at least one high

I look forward to Fridays and sharing our highs and lows for the week. Some are as simple as, "I did well on my math test" or "we don't have school Monday". And others really touch you such as, "I got to see my mom for the first time in six months"...tears!!

I'm so thankful my kids are able to share their experiences with each other and with me. This class is very special to me since this is my second year with them. I know I'm going to be a hot mess saying goodbye to them but I'll always remember our high/low Fridays and I hope that they can remember the same.